Politicos rallied with tenants and union workers outside of Journal Squared in Jersey City yesterday, demanding for stronger working and rental standards.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“We’re the first point of contact for all residents, for their questions, concerns and anything else they might need. We’re essential to the luxury experience KRE advertises, but we don’t get our fair share,” Shakira Drown, a concierge at Journal Squared, said in a statement.
“I’m paid just $18 an hour while supporting a family of five. Some months I’m forced to pick and choose which bills to pay. I was born and raised in Jersey City. As tough as it is now, I worry how much worse it will be three years from now. I don’t want to be priced out of my home.”
The dozens on hand marched with signs that said phrases such as “Respect Residential Workers,” “Decent Wages for All,” and “No Junk Fees!” There was no shortage of chanting as well, belting out phrases such as “The workers united, we’ll never be defeated!”
An October state inspection of the apartment buildings, located at 615 Pavonia Ave., found 380 housing code violations, 12 being marked as a threat to life safety.
According to 32BJ SEIU, who organized the rally, despite raking in billions in revenue each year, the KRE Group pays the workers who clean, service and maintain their buildings poverty wages with unaffordable health benefits.
RE pays its porters and concierges wages of $16 to $20 an hour in a city that ranks second highest in average rental prices in the U.S., the union said.
“The porters and concierges who keep apartment buildings running deserve respect, wages and benefits that let them afford to live where they work, added 32BJ SEIU Vice President and New Jersey State Director Anna Maria Hill.
“It’s unacceptable that luxury landlords can pay their workers so little while charging tenants outrageous fees on top of thousands in rent.”
Fully opened in October, Journal Squared was celebrated as a symbol of Jersey City’s economic boom and the “new standard for luxury living in Jersey City,” the KRE Group said at the time.
32BJ takes umbrage with that, insisting that are still paying “essential workers poverty wages while charging tenants thousands in rent only aggravates the city’s inequality crisis.”
They were joined by three Jersey City mayoral candidates, Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea (D-2), Ward E Councilman James Solomon, and former Board of Education Preside Mussab Ali, along with several other candidates.
32nd Legislative District Assembly candidate Katie Brennan, Jersey City Ward B council candidate Joel Brooks, and Ward D council candidate Jake Ephros.
In December, Jersey City elected leaders joined 32BJ SEIU in a downtown rally where they made it a point to call out luxury developers, including the KRE Group, over affordability.
Their 38 concierges and porters employed by Guardian Services Industries received a new four-year contract that included pay raises and employer-paid healthcare four days later.
The KRE Group could not immediately be reached for comment on Friday.